© New Japan Pro Wrestling

New Japan Pro Wrestling

Naito

New Japan Pro Wrestling announced the departure of their top star and biggest draw of the previous decade, Tetsuya Naito, on Wednesday 16th April in a move that stunned much of Japanese wrestling.

It had not come without pre warnings. An interview with Tokyo Sports on April 1st with the LIJ leader had expressed his discontentment with the amount of dates he had been working over recent years and the pay that came with him, as he notes the physical breakdown of his body that has accelerated over the past year.

The article was passed over by most, seen as just another example of Naito airing his gripes to the outlet or building a future story, something which has been consistent with these pieces in the past. On this occasion, however, it represented a full breakdown in the relationship and the company which he has been with for the past 2 decades.

After speaking to multiple sources this week it seems that a combination of factors led to the decision, many of which are interlinked, even if they don’t appear to be on the surface.

Naito had been working on a tour by tour basis since February and was becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of rest between tours and security as he continues to struggle with his growing physical ailments. He feels that he has been given his body to the company and not been fully rewarded in doing so. There have also been suggestions that New Japan were ready to move Naito into a more senior role which he is not ready to do and to the pay scale such a move would initiate.

The Naito situation is not at all similar to the departure of Kazuchika Okada, he had no issues with putting over other talent and has not made any false promises in regards to his future. There does not appear to be any blood over him leaving like in that situation, with an expectation that both parties will work together again at some point in the future.

One potential match up for this year that the door does not appear closed on is a potential matchup between Naito and Hiroshi Tanahashi as part of his “Final Road”. There have been suggestions that plans for this match were already being made but if it is to happen now it will happen with Tetsuya Naito not under contract or affiliated with New Japan.

Wednesday’s Tokyo Sports follow up made note that Naito gave his notice on April 3rd, in the days immediately before Sakura Genesis, where Naito and tag partner Hiromu Takahashi dropped the IWGP Tag Team Titles to Jeff Cobb and Callum Newman, with Naito being pinned by the younger wrestler that is now set to face Hirooki Goto at Wrestling Dontaku on May 4th.

© New Japan Pro Wrestling

The immediate response from the Japanese New Japan fanbase was not a good one. While tickets began flying almost immediately for the shows in Fukuoka and Hiroshima, the general reaction was dismay and anger with the company, especially after the company put the Osaka “Dominion” event on sale to their most loyal fans the day before the announcement was made. There has also been frustration with the manner of his exit, with the ending in an 8 man seen as an unfitting end for a wrestler who has shown his love for New Japan on multiple occasions and has taken pay cuts in order to support the company on multiple occasions.
Hiroshi Tanahashi released a statement on New Japan’s website on the evening of the 16th,

“I’m sorry to have brought you all such surprising and sad news today.

I spoke with Naito yesterday. I told him that I wanted Naito, who loves New Japan, to stay with the company until the very end, but his will was firm and I couldn’t change it. We will be respecting his wishes as he leaves the company.”

I ask for your continued support for Naito and BUSHI during the remaining time in their company.”

Whilst the Dontaku tour will easily exceed last year’s numbers and final merch sales will be high, this will be a significant loss in terms of revenue for the company where Tetsuya Naito has remained the strongest merch seller over the past half decade, even in the past six months when he has been competing in the Tag Division. He also remains their strongest ticket draw, with the drawing power of Hirooki Goto being able to match Naito in some post pandemic numbers in the short term but still unknown for how that will pan out in the longer term. It will provide a much greater hit to New Japan business than the departures of Kazuchika Okada or Will Ospreay did to the company at the beginning of 2024.

© New Japan Pro Wrestling

New Japan will hope that a combination of Goto and the Tanahashi retirement will secure them in the short term but the bigger threat may come from whatever Tetsuya Naito chooses to do next. There is not an expectation of him moving to America (it is still Naito after all) but a move to even a series of dates with Pro Wrestling NOAH could be damaging in key markets. Japanese fans are traditionally loyal to their company of choice but this is the sort of move that could change the course. NOAH is likely the only organisation that could pay Naito to his expected level outside of New Japan and is currently seeing a reversal of fortunes on the back of current GHC champion OZAWA and the returning KENTA. Any interactions between Ozawa and Naito, on top of renewing relations with the likes of KENOH will be a big live attraction to the ticket buying base in the country. There is also the prospect of Naito running his own Produce shows, a concept that has become increasingly popular in recent months.

New Japan currently owns the trademark to LIJ in America while CMLL owns the original Los Ingobernables trademark, meaning both will likely be out of use in any venture Naito chooses going forward. There has been nothing said so far as to the status of the group in New Japan.

© New Japan Pro Wrestling

Leaving alongside Naito is stablemate BUSHi. BUSHI is said to have made his decision on the basis of Naito, with the Junior pulling out of Best of the Super Juniors in order to depart the company at the same time. One of the most reliable wrestlers on the roster, BUSHI is able to make the move without having financial concerns due to other ventures outside of wrestling and will follow Naito until whatever he does next.

A number of New Japan wrestlers were shocked by the departures and had not seen them coming, such has been the suddenness and secrecy around this decision. It opens up a major spot at the top which many of them will be looking to fill but also leads to concerns over the health of the company where far more wrestlers are working on a tour by tour basis than in previous years, including previously believed to be signed for the rest of this year.

One source believes that will not be the end of this string of departures, in a year where wrestlers entered into expecting the contract season to be more tumultuous then in years previous and pay rises were known to be an unlikely development from the very start of the year. The situation does not feel like “business as normal” as it has led to speculation as to the reasons behind what is currently happening.

Another departure in the upcoming weeks, which was originally planned for Wrestling Dontaku, is Jeff Cobb. Cobb will finish up on April 19th having originally been planned to work through to Fukuoka, where he would challenge Hirooki Goto for the IWGP Heavyweight title in the city where he currently resides.

New Japan were well aware that he would be departing the company imminently unless something fell through at the last minute with WWE but had agreed with the talent to complete the next tour before WWE notified him that he was required immediately. Cobb will now face Hiroshi Tanahashi at tomorrow’s Korakuen show, with the Tag Team belts vacated as soon as the announcement was made.

Cobb has been vocal in post show comments and to commentary about how speculation around his future was wrong but there has never been a time in the past few months where he was not expected to join WWE. The timing marks the 4th occasion in the last year where WWE have pulled talent leaving obligations unfulfilled and a title situation which needs to be cleaned up. It is also the second occasion in Japan alone this year after Omos was called back from NOAH in January, only to be not used since that time.

New Japan News

This year’s G1 CLIMAX tournament has a noticeably different layout to previous years thanks to some interesting choices as well as some changes with venue availability.

The tour will open in Hokkaido on the 19th and 20th July after diverting to an Osaka opening last year due to building renovations.

The 19 date tour will feature two nights at Ota City Gymnasium in south Tokyo on July 25th and 26th, two further Korakuen Hall dates and the use of replacement venues in Osaka and Nagoya, with the EDION Arena closed for the summer and the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium closing permanently before the tournament takes place. Venue availability might be a reason behind Fukuoka picking up a weekend show before big market Osaka.

The finals will also be held at a new location, with the Ariake Arena in Tokyo replacing the more traditional Ryogoku Kokugikan venue.

Ariake is not as easily accessible but has a more standard arena feel in regards to seating compared to the box seats of Sumo Hall. It also has a higher capacity, making fans wonder what possible attractions New Japan have lined up in order to fill the venue on the final two nights.

© New Japan Pro Wrestling

NJPW Resurgence will feature Mercedes Mone defending her New Japan Strong Women’s Championship against both AZM and Mina Shirakawa after their match at Windy City Riot did not lead to a clear winner.

Also scheduled to appear are the Young Bucks, who were very clear they wanted to continue their relationship with New Japan following dates in Osaka and Tokyo earlier in the year.

New Japan will be hoping that Matthew and Nicholas Jackson can be a hometown boost for somewhat lagging ticket sales for the Toyota Center show on May 9th in Ontario, California. The Bucks will team with 2 partners of their choosing in an 8 man against the War Dogs. The most likely names are the Good Brothers, who could feature on other New Japan Strong shows this year but are unlikely to be brought to Japan outside of World Tag League.

Yuji Nagata has landed in the film “Ura Shain- Spy Yarasete Mororemasu”. The film which stars members of Jpop group WEST, will be released on May 2nd.

Kevin Knight has signed a second deal this year, as he added a New Japan contract to the AEW one he recently signed.

Knight had been expected to explore options in America post Wrestle Kingdom but is now able to appear in both companies for the foreseeable future, including the upcoming Best of the Super Juniors Tournament, as first reported by the Super J Cast.

MLW announced that Satoshi Kojima recently had a benign tumour removed and has recovered well post surgery.

Zane Jay will be moving to Japan over the next month as he looks to progress ik the industry.

The card collecting game, “New Japan Collection” will end service on June 30th.

Selected New Japan Results:

Road To Sakura Genesis Night 2
02/04/2025
Aimesse Yamanashi, Kofu, Yamanashi, Japan
Company Announced Attendance: 850
Watch On: NJPW World

© New Japan Pro Wrestling

Shingo Takagi made a play for a key spot on next year’s Wrestle Kingdom card after defeating Hiroshi Tanahashi at the Yamanashi “Road To Sakura Genesis” show on April 2nd. The match was held at the proposal of Takagi, as they battled in his hometown, with the series sitting at 1-1 going into the bout.

With the physical condition of Tanahashi in 2025, it was somewhat impossible for the third match to live up to the memorable encounters at New Beginning and Wrestle Grand Slam in the Tokyo Dome, this was still one of the 48 year old’s stronger performances this year, helped on by a crowd caught up in the action.

Shingo controlled much of the pace early on before the match began to even out, with the competitors suplexing each other across the ring. Tanahashi found something late on, unleashing a flurry of offense, as Takagi endured Twist and Shout, a Slingblade and the High Fly Flo in quick succession. It was going for a second High Fly Flo before any pinfall attempt that would cost Hiroshi Tanahashi, with his opponent able to move out the way and survive any further offense. A Pumping Bomber and a Burning Dragon was then enough for Takagi to close out the match.

In the post match, Shingo reminded the crowd and Tanahashi that he is one of only three men to have beaten “the Ace” in the Tokyo Dome, with the other two being the departed Shinsuke Nakamura and Kazuchika Okada, making his case to be the guy who closes out Tanahashi’s historic career.

His business wasn’t done there, as he addressed stable leader Tetsuya Naito (whose contract status is now very much part of an ongoing storyline) over the status of LIJ and a promised match with the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion.

Full Results

Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, Master Wato, Tiger Mask and YOH defeat Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Oleg Boltin, Toru Yano, Ninja Mack and Katsuya Murashima (9:07)

BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Drilla Moloney and SANADA) defeat Just 4 Guys (TAKA Michinoku and Yuya Uemura) (7:33)

BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Gabe Kidd, Taiji Ishimori and Robbie X) defeat TMDK (Hartley Jackson, Kosei Fujita and Robbie Eagles) (11:01)

United Empire (Callum Newman, Francesco Akira and Jakob Austin Young defeat Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi and BUSHI) (11:13)

Yota Tsuji defeats Yoshinobu Kanemaru by DQ (11:43)

Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI and El Desperado defeat BULLET CLUB War Dogs (David Finlay, Clark Connors and Gedo) (10:04)

Shingo Takagi defeats Hiroshi Tanahashi (20:35)

Junior Genesis
04/04/25
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
Company Announced Attendance: 1490
Watch On: New Japan World

© New Japan Pro Wrestling

In a break from tradition, New Japan used the Junior Title defenses we would normally see at Sakura Genesis to boost another show on the tour, as “Junior Genesis” sold out Korakuen Hall on the night before the Ryogoku event.

The show was headlined by a fantastic hardcore match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship between Champion and deathmatch specialist and challenger Clark Connors.

The match did not start with brutal violence right out of the gaye, with an elongated chop battle taking place before they both mutually agreed to turn to the weapons.

The pair jousted with chairs, throwing each other like bowling balls into chairs and even teased a suplex from the bleachers onto the floor as the action spilled around the hall.

A kendo stick battle broke out within the bank of orange seats which Connors would win, lashing his opponent repeatedly over the head and back with the weapon, to the point it angered one fan so much that she screamed in Connors’ face. For all the weapons faced in this match, that might have been the scariest thing the War Dogs wrestler came against.

The middle part of the match was very much focused on Clark inflicting as much damage on the Champion as possible after using his belt to tie his opponent to a ring post. Whips with a kendo stick would be followed up by pouring alcohol into Desperado’s wounds, just as the camera closed in on the lacerations across his body. El Desperado was eventually freed from the corner, but only to suffer a kendo stick shot to the stomach.

Connors brought his whiskey bottle into play next, stealing a Desperado towel from the crowd in order to smash the bottle into the ring post. Glass scattered across Korakuen as Connors took the bottle and tried to drive the fragmented edges into his opponent’s head.

Desperado was able to escape the predicament and get hold of the bottle. He asked Connors if he wanted it to stop, yo which the reply was “Go f*ck yourself!” So Desperado duly drove the bottle into his forehead before running the wound along the top rope in order to open it up.

There was still time for a powerbomb onto a bed of chairs and a gore into a barbed wire wrapped chair before a dive through a table from the top turnbuckle was enough of a setup for El Desperado to be able to put the plucky challenger away.

The post match saw Connors accept a beer from the Champion before both competitors threw up a middle finger at each other in a show of respect (strange but fitting on this occassion).

Full Results

MAO & Yuya Koroku defeat Katsuya Murashima & Ninja Mack (8:50)

Hiroshi Tanahashi defeats Ryusuke Taguchi (8:16)

United Empire (Callum Newman, Jakob Austin Young & Jeff Cobb) defeat Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito) (8:23)

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji) defeat House Of Torture (Dick Togo & EVIL) (5:51)

Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI), Master Wato & YOH defeat BULLET CLUB War Dogs (David Finlay, Drilla Moloney, Gabe Kidd & Gedo) (8:58)

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles:
Ichiban Sweet Boys (Kosei Fujita & Robbie Eagles) (c) (w/Hartley Jackson) defeat BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Robbie X & Taiji Ishimori) (17:40)

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Hardcore Match:
El Desperado (c) defeats Clark Connors (37:53)

Sakura Genesis
05/04/25
Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, Japan
Company Announced Attendance: 6,640
Watch On: New Japan World

© New Japan Pro Wrestling

Hirooki Goto got the ultimate revenge on David Finlay at this year’s Sakura Genesis show as he stopped Finlay in his quest to reach the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in a reversal of fortunes from last year’s Power Struggle, where it was the Irishman denying Goto the gold.

This was a narratively fulfilling conclusion to the program between the men, with the babyface avenging his family as he continues his fairytale World Title run.

Some may see this an opportunity lost in regards of not going with Finlay, but with Goto continuing to draw well and the uncertainty mentioned above, it is not hard to see why they have chosen this way forward.

Elsewhere on the show, Konosuke Takeshita made a record 5th defense of the NEVER Title, despite a spirited challenge from Ryohei Oiwa in what was the in ring match of the night while Yota Tsuji retained the IWGP Global Title in somewhat of a surprise against EVIL.

It wasn’t all bad for EVIL though, as former long term partner SANADA joined forces once more with his old ally, turning on the War Dogs to set up a Dog Pound Steel Cage for Night 1 of Wrestling Dontaku in Fukuoka.

Full Results

Katsuya Murashima defeats Daiki Nagai (8:13)

Yuya Uemura (w/Taichi & TAKA Michinoku) defeats SANADA (10:26)

NJPW World Television Title:
Great-O-Khan defeats El Phantasmo (c) by Count Out to win the Title (11:09)

Shota Umino defeats Hiroshi Tanahashi (12:47)

NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Titles:
House Of Torture (Ren Narita, SHO & Yujiro Takahashi) (c) defeat BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Drilla Moloney, Gabe Kidd & Taiji Ishimori) (7:30)

NEVER Openweight Title:
Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeats Ryohei Oiwa (12:54)

IWGP Tag Team Titles:
United Empire (Callum Newman & Jeff Cobb) defeat Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito) (c) to win the Titles (10:45)

IWGP Global Heavyweight Title:
Yota Tsuji (c) defeats EVIL (21:24)

IWGP World Heavyweight Title:
Hirooki Goto (c) defeats David Finlay (24:21)

© STARDOM

Stardom

All Star Grand Queendom

Tim Hunter previews the biggest Stardom show in the history of the promotion for Social Suplex.

As we are barreling towards Stardom’s biggest show of the year, All Star Grand Queendom, in Yokohama Arena on April 27, the card is quickly taking shape and it is looking like an all-time great show on paper. It is poised to be a pivotal moment in the promotion’s history as careers are at stake, as well as the existence of entire stables fighting through inner turmoil. And if that is not enough, there are impending forces from the outside that must be fended off. I will go through the line up match by match and explain how these stories developed over the past few weeks.

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Saya Kamitani © vs Tam Nakano – World of Stardom Championship, Career vs Career

The main event will see the conclusion to a story that spans over 7 years, as Nakano had scouted Kamitani for Stardom’s failed attempt at an idol group in 2018. A former idol herself, Nakano refused to give up on the talent she saw in Kamitani after the idol group didn’t work out, and she made sure Kamitani’s transition into pro wrestling would be a success.

Now, 7 years later, Nakano has the chance to be responsible for Kamitani’s exit from pro wrestling, as not only will the World of Stardom championship be on the line – but both women’s careers. How did their relationship – built on support and mentorship – deteriorate to the point where neither woman feels like they can continue to work in the same industry as the other?

© STARDOM

Kamitani and Nakano would face each other many times throughout their history in Stardom. While they were more or less friendly rivals for the first 5 years, a pivotal moment happened in their match on the opening night to the 5 Star Grand Prix, Stardom’s big annual tournament, in 2023. Saya climbed far up the scaffolding surrounding the ring and attempted to do a splash onto Tam, but she unfortunately dislocated her elbow upon landing, and the match, as well as her entire run in the tournament she was a betting favourite in, was over.

Throughout the following year, Kamitani would lose her partner Utami Hayashishita, and she saw her unit fall apart entirely shortly thereafter. Now a dejected wrestler at the end of her luck and factionless, Kamitani lost it, costing her long time friend Maika the red belt and joining the evil unit Oedo Tai (which was then renamed to H.A.T.E). This is also when she decided to put the blame for her injury on Tam, an obviously unreasonable and delusional accusation.

© STARDOM

Saya Kamitani, now fully enveloped in her goth phase, also started targeting Tam Nakano’s new protegee and pet project Sayaka Kurara. This was, however, a strikingly smart and solid plan, as Tam Nakano – who had grown extremely protective and affectionate towards her student, maybe a little too much so – fell for Kamitani’s plan every step of the way and lost her mind to the point of no return. After losing a “loser leaves Stardom” match on 3/3 against Kamitani and becoming a freelancer as a result, Tam decided to put her entire career on the line for one last chance at the title.

© STARDOM

In the meantime, the freshly turned freelancer Tam Nakano went on somewhat of a makeshift retirement tour, spanning the bow on stories from almost a decade ago with Yumiko Hotta at the T-Hearts show and doing 90 minute matches in Pro Wrestling Wave, as well as wrestling stablemate (and friend since the first day Tam stepped into a wrestling ring) Saori Annou at Korakuen Hall on 4/2. This match was excellent and extremely hard hitting. Neither woman was left unscathed as they got marked up by crazy shoot slaps and imprinted the profile of their boots on each other’s faces.

© STARDOM

Afterwards, the freelancer and ex-Cosmic Angel Unagi Sayaka entered Korakuen Hall to set up a trios match at Tam’s homecoming show in Anjo on 4/6. The match was a fun, feel good, house show party match. But what was most significant is what happened after the match, as Mina Shirakawa (who had her last Stardom match on this show in a gauntlet against her entire unit, which turned into a match against the entire roster before leaving for AEW) reunited with Tam and Unagi, one last time, as the original Cosmic Angels three piece to do their whole song and dance. It was a very sweet and emotional moment and probably the last chance to ever do this in Stardom, with two of them out of the company and the third one likely to follow soon.

Kamitani, on the other hand, seems to be completely unbothered by the possibility of an impending retirement. All she seems to spend her time on is stalking her blood rival day in and day out, attacking Nakano wherever she goes – whether it is a radio show interview, an amusement park or a restaurant. At the press conference for ASGQ on 4/8, Kamitani brought a bouquet of black roses to congratulate Nakano prematurely on her early retirement.

Will this arrogance and hubris cost Kamitani in the end? Kamitani losing would be an excellent turn in this storyline, since nobody is actually expecting her to be the one to retire. She has just ascended to the top of the promotion and is an excellent draw for any promotion she appears for. There is also the matter of her age, as Kamitani is a decade younger than Tam. However, you never know with pro wrestling, especially with joshi, and whatever outside factors could come into play that the general public has no idea about.

© STARDOM

Tam Nakano has cut some incredible promos to build this match as well. Stardom is her life and she has vowed to never retire after tasting Kamitani’s blood in a very intense post match segment in Okinawa on 3/22. The press conference however was a lot more emotional with Nakano in tears once again proclaiming her love for the promotion. If she cannot wrestle in Stardom she will not wrestle at all. She proclaimed that there will be no retirement ceremony if she loses and no additional shows. She will simply cease to exist as a pro wrestler.

Now all that is left to do is pray and believe in Tam.

© STARDOM

Starlight Kid © vs AZM – Wonder of Stardom Championship

One of the most revered rivalries in Stardom’s history is going to add another chapter. After their legendary matches on 2/23/2022 and 3/4/2023, the two competitors decided to join forces when they both saw themselves without a faction in mid 2024. They formed the new stable “Neo Genesis” together with 3 other women, all from the same generation and the same age. They were basically a 5 piece girl group without any clear leadership and 5 very unique and strong personalities. As the story goes with so many big egos and no one to keep everyone in check, it couldn’t be happy days forever, as the bad boy of the group Suzu Suzuki turned on her own tag team partner Mei Sera on the 4/2 Korakuen show and brutalised her in their match against H.A.T.E. It is unclear at this point whether Suzu will join H.A.T.E. One thing that became very clear to the team however, was that they needed a leader. That’s why the bout between AZM and Starlight Kid will not only be for the White Belt, it will also determine the leadership of Neo Genesis. Both women seem to be happy with this stipulation and it doesn’t seem like this will lead to a falling out yet, but you never know with these internal stable matches. One thing is for certain, even if the rivalry stays friendly, these two names against each other is a guarantee for excellence.

© STARDOM

MMayu Iwatani © vs Syuri – IWGP Championship

This will be Mayu’s 10th defense of the IWGP title, a belt that she has held for over 720 days at this point. It is also a rematch of one of the greatest matches in 2024, when these two already battled it out on ¼ in the Tokyo Dome City Hall. Syuri was unsuccessful in her first attempt at the title which was a truly tough and stiff war. The match however spurred a fire in Syuri and made her realise how much the name IWGP means to her, she has to win this title. She had a number one contender’s match with Sareee earlier in the year which was another serious MOTYC. The match saw no winner but Mayu chose Syuri as her opponent on ASGQ anyway. It is assumed the that Sareee will face the winner of this match at a later date to see the stipulation of her match with Syuri through.

Additionally looming over this match is the questionable future of both women with the company. Mayu Iwatani has a very strong relationship with Marigold owner Rossy Ogawa who took her in and gave her a roof to live under when she ran away from her home and was homeless in the streets, as well as basically being responsible for Mayu’s success in the pro wrestling business. So it has always been the natural speculation that she was just waiting for her unusually long contract to run out and join Rossy’s promotion whenever she’s done. Looking at Marigold’s business it could mean a pretty significant pay cut, so it might be more a question of loyalty over money than anything.

Syuri herself has been subject of speculation as well. Since losing the World of Stardom Championship at the end of 2022 to Giulia, Syuri hasn’t really done anything in Stardom. At best she was booked in a gatekeeper type role, that would always get a fantastic match out of anyone, but was never a serious contender for the top titles again. Her personal feud with Konami really went nowhere as well. Meanwhile Syuri had a great time freelancing and taking more and more dates outside of Stardom, so it is no surprise that rumors about her are out there.

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Wing*Gori (Hanan & Saya Iida) © vs FWC (Koguma & Hazuki) – Goddesses of Stardom Championship

Neo Genesis is not the only stable that is currently fighting inner turmoil. This match between the two tag teams from the STARS unit has turned up the heat scale out of nowhere and after the press conference it almost feels like a foregone conclusion that no matter the outcome of this match, STARS as a faction, at least in this iteration, may not be long for this world.

Hazuki has been an important part in Stardom’s dojo, training rookies for years. So it was a rather big surprise when Hanan out of nowhere accused her of being too stiff, bullying and hurting people intentionally in training, being responsible for the rookie Matoi’s recent injury who has been out of action since January. It was an incredibly sad scene at the press conference with multiple members of the faction in tears over these shocking accusations. Maybe not a full surprise to people who have really paid attention to their relationship, as Hanan and Hazuki have very rarely been on the same team or in the same matches together in recent months, something highly unusual for two stablemates in Stardom, a promotion that mainly books multiman tag matches on their regular day to day house shows.

It was however definitely unusual for the promotion to air the dirty laundry publicly in a press conference, Hanan’s gripes feeling more like shoot comments than anything to build a match on. Hazuki has since stated on social media that it is never her intention to hurt anyone, but that in pro wrestling you have literally the life of others in your hands and it is very important to be thorough in training and not be clumsy.

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She also accused Hanan of doing nothing to improve STARS as a unit and that the stable has become stale. Hazuki has shown her heel tendencies at several points over the years, the last time just a few months ago when she couldn’t beat Starlight Kid and completely lost her temper. She originally used to be a member of heel stable Oedo Tai. In this case however it is hard to know who really is the bad guy since Hanan’s accusations, if baseless, would be incredibly damaging.

All signs are pointing to a break up and a bitter end of STARS, which at this point is the longest running stable in Stardom without any major changes.

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Maika vs Chihiro Hashimoto

Champion of Sendai Girls Hashimoto is looking to invade Stardom in April as the powerhouse has been building this feud with Stardom’s own powerhouse Maika over the last few months in and outside of both promotions. This match being only 5th down the card shows what an incredible line up this is shaping up to be and when all is said and done these two might just steal the show entirely. This has all the potential in the world to be an absolute blow away grappling contest as Chihiro Hashimoto is by many considered the best pure fighter in the world.

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Mei Sera vs Suzu Suzuki

Suzu turning on her long time tag team partner Mei was born out of pure frustration. Miscommunication and a diminishing chemistry lead to double teams going wrong and Mei accidentally hitting Suzu in matches which lead to losses over and over until one night in Korakuen Hall on 4/2 Suzu’s limit was finally reached and she blew a gasket. She took a chair from H.A.T.E. leader Natsuko Tora and let all her anger and frustration out on Mei.

This has only been a very recent development in Stardom, but it is still promising to be one of the most heated matches on the card. Suzuki has not joined a new unit yet, so it will be interesting what the constellations are gonna be like after 4/27. Many are speculating a new unit to be born out of the defections from Suzu and possibly Hazuki.

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Rina vs Yumiko Hotta

Rina’s mission statement for years in Stardom has been to beat, in her own words, “all these old hags”. Well she’s in luck then because none other than AJW legend Yumiko Hotta decided to challenge her for this show. This will not just be a fight between old and young, it is the fight of this generation to finally step out of the shadow from joshi’s greats of the past. The Cinderella finalist is sick of people bringing up All Japan Women when talking about joshi today and maybe she has a point. When the 18 year old Rina was born, Hotta had been in the ring for 21 years.

Natsupoi, Saori Annou & Aya Sakura vs Meiko Satomura, Mika Iwata and YUNA

Meiko Satomura’s retirement tour adds another stop in Stardom to the schedule. But this match will not be solely about her, as Saori and Mika have been feuding in either promotion for a long time now. Last year Saori lost Stardom’s White Belt to the outsider in a shocking finish. A loss, that almost broke her. Her partner Natsupoi had to give her a real pep talk to get her back on track and find the motivation to go to Sendai Girls and win the belt back. After she achieved that, the two had another excellent bout on last year’s Dream Queendom show where Saori etched out another win in an incredibly stiff fight. Many believed this to be the feud ender, but Mika Iwata decided to come back for more and bring the legend Meiko Satomura with her. It will also be great for someone like Aya Sakura to share time in the ring with Meiko. So this match should be a lot of fun.

© STARDOM

Hina © vs Ranna Yagami – Future of Stardom Championship

It is a really good sign for Ranna Yagami to have a solid spot with a singles match on this huge card, even if it’s only gonna be on the preshow as she is still one of the most promising rookies in Stardom. This is only Hina’s second title defense, so it is questionable if a title change is really in order here, but if there is anyone in Stardom really deserving of the Future championship at the moment, it would be Ranna. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ranna came out of this match looking the better of the two and that is not meant as an insult to Hina. Ranna is really close to be ready for something bigger. She has a cool aura and great offense based on stiff kicks.

© STARDOM

Stardom Notes

by Tim Hunter

Mina Shirakawa has officially finished up with Stardom and signed with AEW. Mina had a special match at Korakuen Hall vs Maika on 4/2 where she was presented with flowers by Himeka, a friend of Mina and Maika who retired in 2023. Himeka would then join commentary and Maika would use Himeka’s finisher, the running powerbomb, in the match. The match was excellent and very emotional. Maika would pin Mina after several Michinoku Drivers, calling back to her retirement match with Himeka in 2023. Really, this whole goodbye tour for Mina felt a lot more like a retirement tour than a simple jump to a partner promotion. If she went to WWE it would make a bit more sense, but there’s no real indication that she couldn’t come back to Stardom for guest spots whenever she wants while under AEW contract.

© STARDOM

Mina had her last match at Tam Nakano’s homecoming show in Anjo on 4/6 when she was initially booked to face her own unit ExV in one minute gauntlet matches, but she ended up facing pretty much everyone who was present at the show, including Unagi Sayaka who was fired from Stardom over 2 years ago and Tam Nakano who is currently a freelancer. Mina, Unagi and Nakano were the founding members of the Cosmic Angels and they did their old introduction and dance to close the show. in another happy but emotional retirement moment for Mina.

© STARDOM

Starlight Kid recently interviewed Yuji Nagata on the official Stardom channel with Yuji Nagata. In the interview she revealed for the first time that she was planning to leave the promotion at some point last year. She went on to say that she is happy about staying and forming Neo Genesis as well as finally winning the white belt.

It is only left up to speculation what Starlight Kid would have done, whether she would have gone freelance, or whether she would have followed other talent to Marigold. Her booking under Ogawa and rather nasty comments made by Ogawa’s camp just before their exit from Stardom would not suggest that Kid would have the best relationship with this group, but you never know what is actually going on behind the scenes and what is deliberately worked.

© Pro Wrestling WAVE

More good news for the drawing cases of Tam Nakano and Saya Kamitani. The 4/2 Korakuen Show headlined by Nakano and Saori Annou was reported as another sell out with 1458 in attendance, but not a super no vacancy one as their previous shows in Korakuen Hall. It is still impressive for a random week night show and continues the promotion’s great streak in the venue. Nakano’s Triumphant Return show in Anjo broke their Anjo attendance record by going past the 1.000 barrier for the first time in that venue and getting 1.008 in attendance. Meanwhile Kamitani drew another very good house for the promotion Pro Wrestling WAVE, that she is champion for, in Shinjuku FACE with 290. Nakano beat her a few days later with her appearance for WAVE in Anjo where they did 330. Anjo has to be considered a much tougher market to draw in compared to Shinjuku FACE, especially for a small promotion like WAVE.

The injury bug is continuing to ravage the Stardom roster, as Mayu Iwatani, Mei Sera, Suzu Suzuki and Starlight Kid were all left off of recent shows. These are 4 big names in Stardom and fans of the promotion have to be worried whether this might seriously harm the big show on 4/27, as all 4 have significant matches planned for the show, or if this is rather a precautionary measure to keep them healthy for the big show. Starlight Kid has been fighting with an injured shoulder since the Barb Sasaki Crazy Fest on 3/10 in Korakuen Hall. She will nonetheless make her way over to America for Wrestlemania week shows.

The freshest rookie Anne Kanaya got injured right after her debut which is super unlucky, similarly to rookie Matoi who is still out since January. Ami Sohrei and Xena have been out for a long time.

© STARDOM

Stardom will have shows in Las Vegas for Thursday and Friday for Wrestlemania week. They have yet to announce any matches, but the Friday show is supposedly close to a sellout. The show on Thursday will be at the Silverton Casino Lodge and the Friday show at MEET Las Vegas. Talent announced for the shows include Starlight Kid, AZM, Suzu Suzuki, Hanan, Saya Iida, Hazuki, Maika, Mina Shirakawa, HANAKO, Syuri, Natsuko Tora, Momo Watanabe, Konami and Thekla.

Stardom talent will also appear at

DragonGate rebirth

Starlight Kid & AZM will face Natsuko Tora and Konami

The Spark Show “Lady Luck”

will have AZM, Hazuki, Starlight Kid, Syuri and Momo Watanabe on the card, with Hazuki competing for the vacant SPARK Joshi Championship on April 17th.

Wrestlecon

Saturday April 19, 2025
10am-11am : AZM, Suzu Suzuki
11am-12pm : Starlight Kid, Hazuki
12pm-1pm : Saya Iida, Hanan

Sunday April 20, 2025
10am-11am : Syuri, Natsuko Tora
11am-12pm : Momo Watanabe, Konami
12pm-1pm : Maika, HANAKO

Stardom Selected Results

Stardom Nighter in Korakuen
02/04/2025
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
Company Announced Attendance: 1458
Watch On: Stardom World

Fukigen Death defeats Anne Kanaya and Yuna Mizumori (8:23)

HATE (Konami, Rina and Thekla) defeat Empress Nexus Venus (HANAKO, Rian and Waka Tsukiyama) (4:50)

STARS (Hanan and Saya Iida) and Yuria Hime defeat Akira Kurogane and Cosmic Angels (Aya Sakura and Sayaka Kurara) (10:01)

STARS (Hazuki, Koguma, Mayu Iwatani and Momo Kohgo) defeat God’s Eye (Lady C, Ranna Yagami, Syuri and Tomoka Inaba (10:12)

Future of Stardom Title:
Hina retains against Tabata (9:02)

Maika defeats Mina Shirakawa (19:39)

HATE (Azusa Inaba, Natsuko Tora, Ruaka and Saya Kamitani) went to a No Contest against Neo Genesis (AZM, Mei Seira, Miyu Amasaki and Suzu Suzuki) (11:57)

Tam Nakano defeats Saori Anou (18:35)

Stardom Dream in Anjo- Tam Nakano’s Triumphant Return
06/04/25
Tosho Arena, Anjo, Aichi, Japan
Company Announced Attendance: 1,008
Watch On: Stardom World

God’s Eye (Hina, Lady C and Syuri defeat Akira Kurogane, Suzu Suzuki and Yuria Hime (10:13)

Fukigen Death defeats Mei Seira and Anna Kanaya (6:10)

STARS (Hanan, Hazuki, Koguma and Momo Kohgo) defeat HATE (Azusa Inaba, Natsuko Tora, Rina and Ruaka) (9:44)

STARS (Mayu Iwatani and Saya Iida) defeat God’s Eye (Ranna Yagami and Tomoka Inaba) (9:40)

Mina Shirakawa Gauntlet:
A series of Time Limit draws with Maika (3:00), Waka Tsukiyama (3:00), HANAKO (3:00), Saya IIda (1:00), AZM (1:00), Hanan (1:00) and a defeat of Rien (2:55) before a time limit draw with Tam Nakano (3:00)

Neo Genesis (AZM and Miyu Amasaki defeat HATE (Konami and Saya Kamitani) (10:28)

Cosmic Angels (Tam Nakano, Unagi Sayaka and Saori Anou) defeat Cosmic Angels (Aya Sakura, Sayaka Kurara and Yuna Mizumori (20:42)

© Pro Wrestling NOAH

Pro Wrestling NOAH

The card for “Memorial Voyage” in Ryogoku Kokugikan on May 3rd is starting to take shape, with the additions of Kenoh and Yuraka Sasaki taking on Jack Morris and Daga for their recently won GHC Tag Team Championships and YO-HEY challenging Junior Heavyweight Champion Eita after winning a number 1 contender’s match against Tadasuke on the 14/04 Korakuen show.

There will also be tag action for Jun Akiyama and Takashi Sugiura, as Sugiura looks to get revenge on Team 2000X’s Tetsuya Endo for his interference led elimination from the GHC National Championship tournament. Endo will team with Owadasan for the bout.

A singles match for no title will occur between Naomichi Marufuji and Kaito Kiyomiya, as the NOAH elder looks to get Kiyomiya going again following a string of high profile losses.

The road has been cleared for the main event, after Kenoh and challenger KENTA were able to defeat GHC Heavyweight Champion OZAWA and Team 2000X teammate Tetsuya Endo in a no DQ tag team match on Monday evening.

Ticket sales were once again strong for this latest Korakuen show, with Star Navigation drawing 1,322, up from 935 for a Kaito Kiyomiya- Kenoh singles match headlined show in 2024.

Kenoh’s produce show on April 15th at Korakuen Hall was a complete sell out. We will be reviewing the show for the next edition of this newsletter.

Selected NOAH Results

Sunny Voyage 2025
06/04/25
EDION Arena #2
Attendance: 722
Watch On: Wrestle Universe

Shuji Kondo defeats Daiki Odashima (9:08)

Atsushi Kotoge, Hajime Ohara & Mohammed Yone defeat Black Menso-re, Shuhei Taniguchi & Takashi Sugiura (10:18)

AMAKUSA & Junta Miyawaki defeat All Rebellion (Alejandro & Harutoki) (10:18)

Passionate RATEL’S (HAYATA, Manabu Soya, Saxon Huxley & YO-HEY) defeat Bryce Hansen, Knull, Masa Kitamiya & Naomichi Marufuji (10:46)

Tadasuke defeats Yuto Kikuchi (10:34)

Kenoh, KENTA & Ulka Sasaki defeat Team 2000X (Owadasan, OZAWA & Tetsuya Endo) (16:25)

GHC Junior Heavyweight Title:
Eita defeats Kai Fujimura to retain the title (13:03)

GHC Tag Team Titles:
Team 2000X (Daga & Jack Morris) defeat All Rebellion (Galeno & Kaito Kiyomiya) (19:45)

Sunny Voyage 2025
11/04/2025
Niigata City Gymnasium, Niigata, Japan
Company Announced Attendance: 1,092
Watch On: Wrestle Universe

© Pro Wrestling NOAH

Galeno is the new GHC National Champion after defeating Tetsuya Endo in the final of the tournament on 11/04 in Niigata. The wrestler has now acquired the belt that his brother, El Hijo del Wagner Jr. held for 352 days.

The luchador had endured quite the week, having beaten Manabu Soya in the semi finals on the 31/03 show at Shinjuku Face, before losing the GHC Tag Championship match alongside Kaito Kiyomiya against Team 2000X’s Jack Morris and Daga on April 6th.

Galeno’s first defense will be against Saxon Hurley at the Ryogoku show on May 3rd.

Results

Bryce Hansen, Eita & Masa Kitamiya defeat Daiki Odashima, HAYATA & Hitoshi Kumano (6:05)

Shuhei Taniguchi defeats Black Menso-re and Mohammed Yone (5:47)

F-SWAG (Gaia Hox, Jun Masaoka & Yuya Susumu) defeat AMAKUSA, Atsushi Kotoge & Junta Miyawaki (9:00)

Saxon Hurley defeats Knull (12:23)

Kazuyuki Fujita, Naomichi Marufuji & Takashi Sugiura defeat All Rebellion (Alejandro, Kai Fujimura & Kaito Kiyomiya) (11:13)

Passionate RATEL’S (Manabu Soya & YO-HEY) defeat Team 2000X (Owadasan & Tadasuke) (10:40)

Team 2000X (Daga, Jack Morris & OZAWA) defeat Kenoh, KENTA & Ulka Sasaki (13:23)

GHC National Title Tournament Final:
Galeno defeats Tetsuya Endo to win the Vacant GHC National Title (23:46)

Star Navigation 2025
14/04/2025
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
Company Announced Attendance: 1,332
Watch On: Wrestle Universe

Masa Kitamiya defeats Harutoki (6:02)

Team 2000X (Jack Morris & Owadasan) defeat Black Menso-re & Shuhei Taniguchi (7:51)

Atsushi Kotoge, Hajime Ohara, Kazuyuki Fujita & Mohammed Yone defeat Daiki Odashima, Eita, Naomichi Marufuji & Takashi Sugiura (9:08)

Passionate RATEL’S (HAYATA, Manabu Soya, Saxon Huxley & Yuto Kikuchi) defeat All Rebellion (Alejandro, Galeno, Kai Fujimura & Kaito Kiyomiya) (10:23)

Ulka Sasaki defeats Daga (10:35)

GHC Junior Heavyweight Title #1 Contendership Match:
YO-HEY defeats Tadasuke (10:14)

GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles:
AMAKUSA & Junta Miyawaki defeat F-SWAG (Gaia Hox & Jun Masaoka) to retain the titles (10:59)

No Disqualification Tag Team Match:
Kenoh & KENTA defeat Team 2000X (OZAWA & Tetsuya Endo) (25:33)

Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling

TJPW have adopted the opposite approach to Stardom in regards to Las Vegas, putting on one of the biggest cards possible in the promotion right now.

© TJPW

The card for “Queri Presents: TJPW Live in Las Vegas” will feature 7 matches as listed below:

The show will take place on April 18th at the Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas at 11am PT and will air on Triller+.

TJPW have announced that they will run three shows around AEW’s “All In” weekend, with two shows at Post Houston on the 10th and 11th and a show in Fortney on July 13th. Miya Yamashita and Maki Itoh have already been confirmed for all 3 dates.

Miya Yamashita has also been announced for House of Glory in Chicago on May 9th as part of her US excursion.

The upcoming shows in Kasukabe Fureai Cube on May 3rd and Edion Arena #2 on May 5th will host international talent, as Thailand’s Matcha and Singapore native Alexis Lee will compete in TJPW on these dates. They join Malaysian Noah Phoenix Diana in being announced for the shows. Diana will be challenging for the SETUP All-Asia Women’s Championship in Osaka on May 5th.

Jada Stone has also announced upcoming dates with the promotion, returning on May 31st in Tokyo as well as for shows on June 1st and June 7th.

A number one contender for the International Princess Championship will be determined at Saturday’s show in Kanda. A field of 8 wrestlers will first compete in a 4 vs 4 tag match before the winning team will split into two for a tag match. The victors of that match will then face off for the right to challenge the Champion.

HIMAWARI, Toga, Kazehiro Haru, Ashida Miho, Kira Summer, Nanase Chika, Takami Shioju and Ivy Steele will make up the teams.

The show will also feature the TJPW debut of CMLL wrestler Tabata, who has previously appeared with Stardom.

“Summer Sun Princess 2025” will be held at Ota Gymnasium, Tokyo on July 21st, a National Holiday in Japan.

Pom Harajuku missed the April 2nd show due to illness.

TJPW Selected Results

TJPW
Spring Festival Debut In Ueno!
02/04/25
Ueno Park Outdoor Stage, Ueno, Tokyo, Japan
Watch On: Wrestle Universe

Haruna Neko and Suzume defeat Chika Nanase and Toga (10:00)

Maki Itoh and Yuki Kamifuku defeat Ivy Steele and Kira Summer (9:37)

Arisa Endo defeats Miu Watanabe and Uta Takami (8:03)

Miyu Yamashita and Moka Miyamoto defeat Mifu Ashida and Wakana Uehara (10:22)

Tag Death Match:
Mahiro Kiryu and Rika Tatsumi defeat A. YAZAWA and Trans Am Hiroshi (9:45)

Haru Kazashiro, Mizuki, Raku, Shino Suzuki & Yuki Aino defeat HIMAWARI, Hyper Misao, Kaya Toribami, Shoko Nakajima & Yoshiko Hasegawa (22:25)

TJPW Members Only Show
13/04/25
Kitazawa Town Hall, Tokyo, Japan
Company Announced Attendance: 258
Watch On: Wrestle Universe

Yuki Kamifuku defeats Chika Nanase (4:28)

Kira Summer defeats Ivy Steele (6:00)

Hyper Misao, Mahiro Kiryu and Moka Miyamoto defeat La Kurka, Mil Nekocaras and Yuki Caras (10:00)

Miu Watanabe and Uta Takami defeat Miya Yamishita and Arisu Endo 3-2 in a Martial Arts match (12:13)

Werewolf Death Match:
Kaya Toribami defeats Maki Itoh, Rika Tatsumi, Shino Suzuki and Shoko Nakajima (15:01)

Mizuki, Pom Harajuku, Suzume & Yoshiko Hasegawa defeat Haru Kazashiro, HIMAWARI, Toga & Wakana Uehara (12:10)

© DDT Pro Wrestling

DDT

The Las Vegas DDT show, “DDT Goes Las Vegas!” has the following card lined up:

The show takes place at the Palms Casino Resort at 15:00 PT and will be broadcast on Triller+.
Daisuke Sasaki will run his second produce show with Hideki Okaya, MJ Poe and Illusion already signed up to take part. CHARISMANIA II will take place on June 18th from Shinjuku FACE in Tokyo.

Konosuke Takeshita will be wrestling for DDT on the “Dramatic Dreams” show in Osaka on May 17th. His opponent is unannounced at the current time.

Antonio Honda will take part in the “King of DDT” Tournament, replacing the injured Masahiro Takanashi. The tournament will open on May 6th from Korakuen Hall with the final taking place at the same venue on Sunday, May 25th.

Keigo Nakamura will be finishing up with DDT on April 23rd before heading overseas for further training. A Farewell Match will be happening on his final show in Ueno Park, Tokyo, where he will face Yuki Ueno. A press conference was held on April 8th to announce the move.

Selected DDT Results

DDT Change Age
06/04/2025
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
Watch On: Wrestle Universe

© DDT Pro Wrestling

Naomi Yoshimura returned on April 6th, tagging with Kazusada Higuchi and Ryota Nakatsu in a six-man match. Yoshimura had been diagnosed with a herniated disc after a match with Tetsuya Endo in November 2022 and has not wrestled since. He continued to act as a second for matches but felt he could finally return to the ring at Korakuen after 2 years and four months.

Results

DAMNATION T.A. (Ilusion & MJ Paul) defeat Antonio Honda & Toru Owashi (7:30)

Harimao (Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida) defeat JJ Furno, Takeshi Masada, To-y & Yukio Naya (8:26)

Kazuma Sumi, Shunma Katsumata & Yuni defeat Kazuki Hirata, Kumadori & MAO (9:53)

Jun Akiyama defeats Daichi Sato (11:03)

Two-On-One Handicap Match:
DAMNATION T.A. (Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani) defeat KANON (11:55)

Danshoku Dino & HARASHIMA vs Minoru Suzuki & Yuki Ueno – Double Count Out (13:29)

KO-D Tag Team Titles:
Astronauts (Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura) (c) defeat Keigo Nakamura & Shinya Aoki (11:46)

KO-D Openweight Title:
Chris Brookes (c) defeats Yuya Koroku (23:38)

All Japan Pro Wrestling

All Japan’s Champion Carnival got underway on April 9th, with many of the stories of the tournament established during the opening days as well as in the press conference beforehand.

© All Japan Pro Wrestling

Triple Crown holder Jun Saito began his quest to win all his matches in the Carnival as champion by defeating Kengo Mashimo on Night 1, with a second victory taking him to four points on Night 3. There were differing levels of success from brother Rei though, who is feeling the weight of his brother’s success reverberating into pressure, and has soon found himself 0-2 after losses to Ryuki Honda and Mike D Vecchio.

Vecchio has been the early pace setter so far, besting Midoka Kikuta and frenchman Aigle Blanc alongside Saito, as he raced to six points over the course of the first three nights.

Xyon, former NRL star Daniel Vidot, has impressed in his early showings, between the tags and a singles victory over Kuma Arashi.

© All Japan Pro Wrestling

Last year’s winner, Kento Miyahara, started off his 12th straight year in the competition in less than perfect fashion, losing to Hideki Suzuki in the main event on the opening night. Thankfully for Kento, he managed to avoid falling to 3 losses in a row, with his second tournament match a victory over Kengo Mashimo to move him up to two points.

Current Block Standings after 2 nights:

Champions Carnival Results:

Night 1
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
Company Announced Attendance: 1.105
Watch On: AJPW.tv

B Block:
Ryuki Honda defeats Rei Saito (9:04)

B Block:
Yuma Anzai defeats Houto Omori (1:39)

B Block:
Mike D Vecchio defeats Aigle Blanc (10:36)

B Block:
Madoka Kikuta defeats Yuma Aoyagi (12:57)

Atsuki Aoyagi, Ren Ayabe, Rising HAYATO, Taishin Nagao & Xyon defeat Dan Tamura, Kuma Arashi, MUSASHI, Ryo Inoue & Shotaro Ashino (13:24)

A Block:
Davey Boy Smith Jr. defeats Takashi Yoshida (12:47)

A Block:
Jun Saito defeats Kengo Mashimo (16:47)

A Block:
Hideki Suzuki defeats Kento Miyahara (21:13)

Night 2
12/04/25
Fukuoka Island City Forum
Company Announced Attendance: 798
Watch On: AJPW.tv

Dan Tamura and MUSASHI defeat Rising HAYATO and Taishin Nagao (9:02)

B Block:
Mike D Vecchio defeats Madoka Kikuta (10:46)

A Block:
Xyon defeats Kuma Arashi (8:54)

B Block:
Yuma Anzai defeats Aigle Blanc (7:59)

Atsuki Aoyagi, Jun Saito, Rei Saito & Ryuki Honda defeat Davey Boy Smith Jr., Hokuto Omori, Ryo Inoue & Takashi Yoshida (12:52)

A Block:
Hideki Suzuki defeats Shotaro Ashino (7:51)

B Block:
Yuma Aoyagi defeats Ren Ayabe (15:48)

A Block:
Kento Miyahara defeats Kengo Mashimo (20:34)

Night 3
13/04/25
Hiroshima Industrial Hall East Exhibition Hall, Hiroshima, Japan
Company Announced Attendance: 785
Watch On: AJPW.tv

Aigle Blanc, Rey Paloma, Takashi Yoshida & Xyon defeat Atsuki Aoyagi, Dan Tamura, Ryo Inoue & Tsuyoshi Okada (10:11)

B Block:
Hokuto Omori defeats Ryuki Honda (8:36)

A Block:
Davey Boy Smith Jr. defeats Kuma Arashi (9:43)

B Block:
Mike D Vecchio defeats Rei Saito (11:33)

Kento Miyahara, Makoto Oishi, MUSASHI & Yuma Aoyagi defeat Ren Ayabe, Rising HAYATO, Taishin Nagao & Yuma Anzai (13:47)

A Block:
Kengo Mashimo defeats Hideki Suzuki (12:43)

A Block:
Jun Saito defeats Shotaro Ashino (17:24)

© Dragongate

Dragongate

The Gate of Passion – Night 3
07/04/25
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
Company Announced Attendance: 1367
Watch On: Dragongate Network

Yamato successfully defended his Open The Brave Gate title on 07/04, defeating Daiki Yanagiuchi. The match saw the 26 year old challenger repeatedly attempting to overcome Yamato’s strength advantage. Yanagiuchi tried valiantly but was brutally disposed of on each occasion before a series of submissions finished him off.

Yamato became the first Champion in a while to take a belt out of a briefcase, as he vacated the Open the Brave Gate title after the successful defense. A tournament is now being held for the lightweight title, with Riiita, Yoshiya Tanaka, Leopard, Ryu Nuda, U.T, Yosuke Santa Maria, JACKY KAMEI and Hoki competing for the right to be the 54th Champion. The semi finals will take place in Osaka on April 26th, with the finals in Aichi during Golden Week.

The show also saw further escalation between the Z-Brats and D’Courage factions, with a cage match set up for April 5th at the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium to settle the rivalry following the six man main event in Korakuen. The match has high stakes, with the losing team either losing their hair or their masks depending on the result.

Results

PARADOX (Dragon Kid & Naruki Doi), Don Fujii & Genki Horiguchi defeat Mondai Ryu, Punch Tominaga, Toru Owashi & Yasushi Kanda (5:13)

Mochizuki Dojo (Akihiro Sahara, Masaaki Mochizuki & Ryu Fuda) defeat Natural Vibes (Strong Machine J & U-T) & Ho Ho Lun (10:53)

GOLD CLASS (Ben-K, Mochizuki Jr. & Riiita), Hyo & Luis Mante defeat Z-Brats (Homare, ISHIN, Jason Lee, KAI & Yoshiki Kato) (8:52)

Yuki Yoshioka defeats Gianni Valletta by DQ (4:57)

BxB Hulk, Jinsei Shinzaki & Yoshitomo Shimohigashi defeat Katsuo, Kzy & Susumu Yokosuka (15:03)

Open The Brave Gate Title: YAMATO defeats Daiki Yanagiuchi by TKO to retain (13:45)

Z-Brats (Kota Minoura & Shun Skywalker) & Dia Inferno (ISHIN) defeat D’courage (Dragon Dia, Madoka Kikuta & Ryoya Tanaka) (13:14)

© Dragongate

Dream Star Fighting Marigold

Spring Victory Series – Night 8
05/04/25
KBS Hall, Kyoto, Japan.
Company Announced Attendance: 305
Watch On: Wrestle Universe

Nanae Takahashi’s retirement road took a surprise turn during Marigold’s Kyoto show on April 5th. Seconds after going to a time limit draw with MIRAI, she was joined in the ring by Jungle Kyona. Kyona has been out of action since April 2023 after suffering a knee injury that she has been unable to recover from, despite surgery. The 34 year old challenged Takahashi to a match at the Marigold event on April 27th in Chunichi Hall, Aichi. The match has since been announced as a 5 minute special singles bout.

It is safe to say Jungle Kyona’s return was completely unexpected, having been riddled by injury from 2020 onwards, something acknowledged by the wrestler during her in ring promo;

“I’ve been undergoing treatment for over two years, but I have been told that there is nothing more that can be done within the current medical system.”

“When I stepped into the ring, I thought that my passion led me to have amazing matches. I now have a knee handicap but I think, through passion alone, I could make a comeback. I want to make a final decision on it by having a match with Nanae Takahashi.”

After the match was confirmed, the former Jungle Assault leader wrote on her blog;
“It may only be five minutes but, for me, it is a match filled with years of feelings. I want to give it everything I have now so that it can be a fight to pave the way for a brighter future. Please watch over me. Please let me see it through to the end. This is my way of life. “

Results

Hummingbird defeats Nagisa Tachibana and Riara (6:12)

Natsumi Showzuki and Rea Seto defeat Kizuna Tanaka and Ryoko Sakimura (9:41)

Seri Yamaoka defeats Yuuki (6:41)

Darkness Revolution (CHIAKI and Misa Matsui) defeat Chika Gota and Miku Aono (13:00)

MIRAI vs Nanae Takahashi- Time Limit Draw (15:00)

Chanyoya, Mai Sakurai, Utami Hayashishita and Victoria Yuzuki defeat Darkness Revolution (Bozilla, Megatron and Nagisa Nozaki) and Gigatron (16:07)

Marigold’s April 25th show in Korakuen Hall will feature MIRAISaku taking on Victoria Yuzuki and World Champion Utami Hayashishita, with Utami demanding MIRAI prove herself to the champion after turning down her challenge for the crimson red belt. Misa Matsui and CHIAKI will also challenge Nanae Takahashi and Seri Yamaoka for the Twinstar Championships.

Marigold’s ongoing rivalry with promotion Marvelous is set to continue, with Korakuen also hosting a 5 v 5 inter promotion elimination match. Miku Aono, Natsumi Showzuki, Kizuna Tanaka, Chika Goto and Rea Seto will represent Marigold whilst Takumi Iroha, Riko Kawahata, Ai Houzen, Maria and Sara Ayame will represent Marvelous.

Spring Victory Series – Night 10
12/04/25
Shin-Kiba 1st Ring, Tokyo, Japan.
Company Announced Attendance: 272
Watch On: Wrestle Universe

Bozilla ended her time with Marigold for the foreseeable future on April 12th, with the company citing a family health matter for her returning to Germany after the show.

In her final match, she teamed with CHIAKI, MIsa Matsui and Nagisa Nozaki, as Darkness Revolution saw off Erina Yamanaka, Hummingbird, Miku Aono and Natsumi Showzuki in the main event of the show. The crowd chanted her name after the match’s conclusion, as the wrestler thanked the audience and promised to return to Japan at a future date.

The 21 year old arrived in Japan last May and made a quick impact, reaching the finals of the United National Championship Tournament. She has also challenged for the Marigold World Championship twice during her tenure, most recently against current Champion Utami Hayashishita last month.

She is expected to gather strong interest for her services from the leading western promotions.

Results

Ryoko Sakimura defeats Nagisa Tachibana and Riara (4:43)

Chika Goto and Minami Yuuki defeat Gigaton and Megaton (9:38)

MIRAI and Seri Yamaoka defeat Kizuna Tanaka and Utami Hayashishita (11:45)

Superfly Title: Victoria Yuzuki retains against Rea Seto (9:44)

Darkness Revolution (Bozilla, CHIAKI, Misa Matsui and Nagisa Nozaki) defeat Erina Yamanaka, Hummingbird, Miku Aono and Natsumi Showzuki (13:42)

© Sendai Girls

Japanese Indies

Meiko Satomura’s near 3 decade career will draw to a close on April 29th, as she wrestles her last match for Sendai Girls, in Korakuen Hall. Her final opponent(s) are yet to be announced but she will tag with DASH Chisako against Ryo Mizunami and Hiroyo Matsumoto in Sendai on April 26th.

Hashimoto has echoed Mieko Satomura’s goal for Sendai Girls to be able to run the Nippon Budokan within 5 years. Hashimoto told Tokyo Sports, “when I think of the Nippon Budokan, I think of (Kenta) Kobashi. It’s my dream to walk down that runway. My goal is to have an audience of over 10,000 people!”

Meiko Satomura’s near 3 decade career will draw to a close on April 29th, as she wrestles her last match for Sendai Girls, in Korakuen Hall. Her final opponent(s) are yet to be announced but she will tag with DASH Chisako against Ryo Mizunami and Hiroyo Matsumoto in Sendai on April 26th.

Hashimoto has echoed Mieko Satomura’s goal for Sendai Girls to be able to run the Nippon Budokan within 5 years. Hashimoto told Tokyo Sports, “when I think of the Nippon Budokan, I think of (Kenta) Kobashi. It’s my dream to walk down that runway. My goal is to have an audience of over 10,000 people!”

Mizuki Watase will face Jun Kasai in a fluorescent light tube deathmatch in the main event of Ganbare Pro’s Korakuen Hall show on August 26th. The show will mark 10 years since Watase’s debut in pro wrestling.

Rika Tatsumi, of TJPW, will challenge Dani Luna for the DPW Women’s World Title at Deadlock Pro’s “Spirit Rising” show at Shinjuku Face on April 24th. Emi Sakura, Chris Brookes, Mei Suruga and Ryo Mizunami are all guesting for the promotion during this string of Japanese dates.

Perhaps one of the more adventurous independent shows currently going under the radar is the “Lucha Fiesta” event to be held at Ryogoku Kokugikan on April 27th.

The card will feature Tatsumi Fujinami vs Kuroshio TOKYO Japan, Octagon and Hijo de Octagon taking on Daisuke Sasaki and Pantera Jr as well as Chanyota from PPP Tokyo taking on Juvia from CMLL.

A 14 person women’s main event will include Eila and Kira from CMLL, Hikaru Shida and Willow Nightingale from AEW, Yuki Miyazaki from WAVE and Emi Sakura and Mei Suruga from ChocoPro, as they take on one of Tokyo’s biggest available venues.

Masato Tanaka will be facing a re-debuting Hayabusa, with the character being revived after receiving blessings from the family of Eiji Ezaki. Tanaka and Zero-1 are behind the promotion of the show.
Pro Wrestling Zero-1 are also bringing in Calvin Tankman and Kidd Bandit for the May 3rd show in Skin-Kiba 1st Ring at the invitation of Masato Tanaka.

© RCW

Other News from Asia and Oceania

Riot City Wrestling

Trial By Stone 2025
05/04/25
Goodwood Community Centre, Adelaide, Australia
Watch On: Youtube

Jeff and Nick Armstrong become RCW Tag Team Champions for the first time in 5 years after eliminating Cadie Tre and S.W.A.T 2 and the Old Guard in an elimination tag match. The inbound champions, the Kings of Ruin, were first eliminated in the match.

Zak Sabbath was left bloodied but not beaten after retaining his RCW Emerald Crown against Sigma, whilst Matt Hayter was suspended in controversial fashion by the promotion for attacking Dean Brady after their match had concluded, targeting the eyes of the losing man.

Riot’s next show in Adelaide will be at the Goodwood Community Centre on Saturday May 31st and will feature Chris Basso vs Down Under.

Results

Match 1 of the Ashes Series:
Hugh Beauty defeats James Kray to lead 1-0 (9:40)

Matt Hayter defeats Dean Brady (7:57)
RCW Emerald Crown:
Zak Sabbath defeats Sigma to retain (10:28)

Emerald Crown Number 1 Contender:
Red Smash 2 defeated B.O.B. (6:49)

RCW Tag Team Title Elimination Match:
The Armstrongs defeat Kings of Ruin, Cadie Tre and S.W.A.T 2 and the Old Guard to become Tag Team Champions (17:52)

RCW Grand Title:
Chris Basso retains against Snaxx (25:00)

© PWS Korea

PWS Korea are aiming to attract 3000 fans for the first time for their “Wrestle Nation” show at the KBS Arena in Seoul on May 10th. Their last show, “Warrior’s Road, at the PWS Studio on April 12th, was sold out. Singaporean Alexis Lee, who is working TJPW the week before, is a confirmed name for the show.

Malaysia Pro Wrestling have announced multiple matches for their show from the KuAsh Theatre TTDI on May 8th, beginning with Carlo Cannon defending the MYPW World Championship against UAE based wrestler Shaheen. Thommy Ardhi also takes on Orion Black in a semi final match up in the “Journey to Gold” tournament for a shot at the MYPW South East Asia Championship.

China’s Middle Kingdom Wrestling are running “Battle of the Decade” from Beijing on May 24th. Already scheduled for the show is a tag between Alexis Lee and Big Sam vs Yuki Kamifuku and Chen Wonbin, a singles contest between Wangtao and Dubai’s Shaheen and Benji and Sunny Zhai challenging the Bad Boys for the MKW Tag Team Championships.

Wade Massen and Chris Vice have also been announced to appear alongside a special musical performance from punk rock band Pizzaface.

Zack Sabre Jr. will wrestle for Singapore Pro Wrestling on May 30th. The show has been entitled “Mayhem.”

NJPW Tamashii returns next week for a show in Hamilton, New Zealand on April 26th.

Tam Nakano – Special Guy

Tim Hunter explores his fandom of Tam Nakano ahead of Stardom’s “All Star Queendom” show on April 27th.

Recommendations From A History Man

Peter Edge introduces his regular column, where he will look back upon classic matches and what made them memorable.

AEW Dynasty

AEW’s second annual “Dynasty” show aired on PPV with, for the second year in a row, Swerve Strickland challenging for the Men’s World Championship in the main event.